René Brent – Quay Canvas

I was René’s first-ever customer, back in 1974! He made the loose cushion covers for my boat. I remember them well. Ros, my wife, had chosen a Sanderson fabric that set off the rich varnish. We used to take them off at sea and survive on the vinyl-covered seats. Good thing too as it turned out. We stopped some really big waves in the North Atlantic which found their way down below. Then a real monster ripped up a couple of deck planks and the cushions were well soaked. We were setting off to Brazil when he made the covers, so we asked René to knock up an all-over awning to shade the wooden decks. That was a tricky job, but he somehow contrived to make it work, spreading it out with our boat hooks and booming-out poles. We had plenty of those on a gaff cutter.Since then, he’s made covers for all my boats. The latest order was for a tasteful, strong dinghy bag to lash on deck, in the same material as the hatch covers. Looks great. René is at Deacon’s Yard down at Bursledon on the Hamble. He hasn’t gone so far as to invest in a website, but you can find him on 023 8040 7441. Thanks, René, for looking after me all these years!